Brighton & Hove

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First published on Tuesday 23 March 1999

Demolition Row is Centre of Attention

MORE than 1,000 families have been asked if they want to save a community sports centre set to be demolished. Their response could form the basis of a campaign to reprieve the Sidney West Centre in Burgess Hill. The centre in Leylands Road has been earmarked for demolition after the £13.5 million Triangle leisure centre opens on Friday. District councillors believe the new centre makes the building redundant and plan to knock it down. But outraged Tories have accused the Liberal Democrat-led council of acting without asking people what they want. They have sent leaflets to homes throughout the town and say the response has been almost unanimous in wanting it saved. Conservative campaigner Chris Smith said: "Before knocking the centre down it would be more appropriate to ask people whether they want to keep it. "If they don't then we should look at converting the building for community use for people who want facilities closer to town. The Triangle is a long way away for some people." But assistant leisure services director Ian Burton said the building had to go as it had been condemned. He said the public was being invited to register views on a number of proposals to be put on display next month. A two-week exhibition of ideas starts at the One Stop Shop on April 6 and is followed by a week-long display at Burgess Hill library. Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

© Copyright 2003 Newsquest Media Group - A Gannett Company
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First published on Thursday 13 May 1999:

SPORTS CENTRE WILL BE BULLDOZED AFTER ALL

A REDUNDANT sports centre is to be demolished after all.

Campaigners hoped to save the Sidney West sports centre in Burgess Hill, which closed after the town's Triangle leisure centre opened in March.

They were offered new hope when the Tories took control of Mid Sussex Council from the Liberal Democrats in last week's local elections.

But first meeting of the new council was told last night it was not practical to save the partly-stripped and empty centre in Leylands Road.

(Click here to see full report)


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"The Triangle" Leisure Centre Replaces

The Sidney West Sports Complex

Council portfolio published in 2001.  See:www.midsussex.gov.uk/Nimoi/sites/msdcpublic/resources/2001%2520Best%2520Value%25205.pdf+%22sidney+West+Sports%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
The Triangle, the new £13.5 million leisure centre at Burgess Hill was opened by HM the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. This top class leisure facility replaces the Sidney West Sports Centre and the Swim Centre. We have introduced the Passport to Leisure Kite Card, giving visitors and residents savings on activities at our leisure centres and at tourist attractions. More than 12,000 cards were sold last year.   (Click here to see the full text of the relevant section of the council's marketing portfolio).